George Bush Doesn't Care About Appalachia

When Kanye West famously stated that "George Bush doesn't care about Black people," a nation reacted with shock and horror. New Orleans and the Gulf Coast were devastated by Hurricane Katrina and the federal government seemed to be doing as little as possible to help the victims, who were primarily Black and overwhelmingly poor. But, even though West's statement may have been strongly worded, there was a bit of truth in it.

The Administration's policies consistently give every advantage to the wealthy while disregarding the plight of the poor. Ol' GW's administration ignored warnings about the impending danger and failed to repair the crumbling infrastructure that failed during the storm. And, when the storm devastated one of the most significant metropolitan areas in the United States, Ol' GW didn't even end his vacation early.

It would have been interesting to see whether Ol' GW's planning and response would have been the same if Hurricane Katrina would have hit land in the middle of gated communities and country clubs.

In my opinion, Kanye West didn't go far enough with his statement. The truth of the matter is that George Bush doesn't care about poor people and neither do most Americans.

Sound crazy?

Well, take a close look at the rape of Appalachia and tell me that my statement isn't true. You see, in 2002, the Bush Administration changed a single word in the Clean Water Act to help out their wealthy cronies in the mining industry. And, that single word has literally moved mountains. I suppose that it hasn't so much moved them as it has blasted them off the face of the Earth.

Mountaintop removal mining has been happening in the United States since the 1970s.